Dopamine Hits

Dopamine is a chemical released in the brain that makes you feel good. People chase dopamine. It is the reason for most addictions. A dopamine craving is that powerful. Dopamine is a need for the human experience. With dopamine, you can enjoy life. Chasing dopamine is a natural desire for humans, and it is interesting to see where your dopamine is coming from.

In a world of ever-increasing technological dependency, your inclination for the easiest hit of dopamine has increased. Why sit through a television commercial when you can switch the channel to some live action? Why watch a boring TikTok video when you can swipe your finger and instantly move on to the next video? The answer is you don’t. The human attention span has never been shorter. You divert your attention to what can fuel that hunger for dopamine. It is as easy as switching the channel or swiping your finger on an app.

This ease can leave you feeling empty. Empty as you realize these fake bouts of dopamine, these manufactured bouts of dopamine, these meaningless bouts of dopamine, these unfulfilling bouts of dopamine. How many cat videos are you going to watch before you realize you are trapped in a habit that brings nothing positive to you? You must choose to realize where you are spending your time chasing dopamine and reevaluate.

By realizing you are stuck in the “attention-seeking” cycle, you can take steps to overcome this. You can relearn the ability to focus and to realize dopamine from being productive. By taking a break from constant scrolling, you are able to wane off the constant hits of dopamine, so your requirement to feel its effects go lower.

Choosing to focus on one task at a time helps your mind overcome the scrolling addiction. Instead of needing to scroll social media for minutes at a time, you can step outside, feel the sunshine, and immediately feel better. Instead of needing to have manufactured effects feed you dopamine, you can find natural and fulfilling ways. Going for a walk and waving to a child is a pure and effortless hit of dopamine you can secure. You just need to enable yourself to be put in that position. You can do so by putting your devices down and being intensely present in the moment you find yourself in.

The doom scrolling of social media or the use of technology does not need to be the only way you find dopamine. By understanding which of your habits are feeding you dopamine, you can model your life to cultivate this chemical reaction in positive and fulfilling ways.